Organization

Soprano

Francesca Dotto

Alzira

Conductor

Giampaolo Bisanti

Leonardo Sini

Stage director

Jean Pierre Gamarra

Lighting designer

Set designer

Lorenzo Albani

Costume designer

Tenor

Luciano Ganci

Zamoro

Baritone

Giovanni Meoni

Gusmano

Bass

Luca Dall'Amico

Alvaro

Roger Joakim

Ataliba

Mezzo-soprano

Marie-Catherine Baclin

Zuma

Zeno Popescu

Otumbo

Alexander Marev

Ovando

Opéra Royal de Wallonie - Liège

Others

Choeur de l'Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège

Gran Teatro Nacional

Orchestra

Royal Opera of Wallonia Orchestra

Italian

Liège

Belgium

Alzira Verdi

Public

Private

Approved

Direction musicale Giampaolo Bisanti • Mise en scène de Jean Pierre Gamarra • Avec Francesca Dotto (Alzira), Luciano Ganci (Zamoro) et Giovanni Meoni (Gusmano), Luca Dall’Amico (Alvaro), Roger Joakim (Ataliba), Marie-Catherine Baclin (Zuma), Zeno Popescu (Otumbo) et Alexander Marev (Ovando) • Orchestre et Chœur de l'Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège

Présentation de l'œuvre : "Alzira" de Verdi

“We will find in almost all my writings this humanity which must be the first characteristic of a thinking being, we will see there the desire for the happiness of men, the horror of injustice and oppression; and it is this alone which has hitherto drawn my works from the obscurity where their faults were to bury them. »
Voltaire, Preliminary speech of Alzire , 1736.

Libretto by Salvatore Cammarano, after Voltaire
An Inca princess, Alzira, believes her fiancé, Zamoro, died under the blows of the Spaniards. Detained by Governor Gusmano, she refuses to give herself to him. Still alive, Zamoro tries an action against the occupier but is captured by Gusmano who threatens to put him to death if the beauty does not give in to his advances. She sacrifices herself but Zamoro stabs him. In dying, he forgives.

When Giuseppe Verdi, in 1845, decided that he should henceforth confirm his successes by conquering, on the very land of his rival Saverio Mercadante, the famous Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, he naturally called on the local librettist, famous for having been the author of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor , Salvatore Cammarano. Verdi felt exhausted by the consequences of his stardom since the enormous success of Nabucco . These “years of galleys”, according to the term of the composer himself, were to produce a series of works, certainly less known, with the exception of one or the other, but extremely effective.

Inspired by Voltaire's tragedy Alzire or the Americans , an arduous and difficult subject to transform into an opera libretto, Alzira only had very limited success in Naples before disappearing into the limbo of Opera History. However, the formidable quality of his music and his dramatic sense deserved rehabilitation. Never performed in Liège, Alzira is a new production presented in collaboration with the Association des Amis de l'Opéra de Bilbao and the Gran Teatro Nacional del Perú. A discovery for sure!

English

Livret de Salvatore Cammarano, d’après Voltaire
Une princesse inca, Alzira, croit son fiancé, Zamoro, mort sous les coups des Espagnols. Détenue par le gouverneur Gusmano, elle refuse de se donner à lui. Toujours vivant, Zamoro tente une action contre l’occupant mais est capturé par Gusmano qui menace de le mettre à mort si la belle ne cède pas à ses avances. Elle se sacrifie mais Zamoro le poignarde. En mourant, il pardonne.

Lorsque Giuseppe Verdi, en 1845, décida qu’il devait désormais confirmer ses succès en conquérant, sur la terre même de son rival Saverio Mercadante, le fameux Teatro di San Carlo de Naples, il fit naturellement appel au librettiste local, célèbre pour avoir été l’auteur du Lucia di Lammermoor de Donizetti, Salvatore Cammarano. Verdi se sentait épuisé par les conséquences de sa célébrité depuis l’énorme succès de Nabucco. Ces « années de galères », selon le terme du compositeur lui-même, allaient produire une série d’œuvres, certes moins connues, à l’exception de l’une ou l’autre, mais extrêmement efficaces.

Inspiré par la tragédie de Voltaire Alzire ou les Américains, un sujet ardu et difficile à métamorphoser en livret d’opéra, Alzira ne connut qu’un succès très mitigé à Naples avant de disparaître dans les limbes de l’Histoire de l’Opéra. Pourtant, la formidable qualité de sa musique et son sens dramatique méritaient une réhabilitation. Jamais joué à Liège, Alzira est une nouvelle production présentée en collaboration avec l’Association des Amis de l’Opéra de Bilbao et le Gran Teatro Nacional del Perú. Une découverte assurément !

français

Alzira by Verdi, From (2022/2022), Directed by Jean Pierre Gamarra,, Conductor Giampaolo Bisanti, Leonardo Sini

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